Bure once again burying goalies 
BY DAVID J. NEAL 

Panthers right wing Pavel Bure tried to caution in September that 50 goals shouldn't be the standard for superior goal-scorers anymore. 
With better goaltending, bigger defensemen, defensive systems still ruling and obstruction erratically called, Bure figured the line ought to be at 40 goals. 
Reminded of that Wednesday night, after he racked up Nos. 36-38 against Phoenix, Bure laughed, ``I'm not there yet, so I've still got work to do. But we'll see what's going to happen.'' 
Barring injury, what will happen is Bure's fifth 40-goal season and, probably, his fifth 50-goal season. For the latter, Bure has to score 12 goals in the last 24 games, the first of which is tonight against Boston. 
``He's such a pure goal-scorer that it's scary,'' Panthers coach Duane Sutter said. ``I'm sure that he gives the goaltenders a lot of nightmares. I'm certainly glad he's on our side.'' 
Until four weeks ago, it seemed Bure would just make 40 goals by the wire and his only shot at 50 goals would be on Nintendo. His 23 goals after 47 games had him on a pace for 40 goals at 82 games. 
But the past 11 games have seen a different, more inspired Bure than earlier in the season. 
That coincided with the return of a healthy Viktor Kozlov as Bure's center to send the Panthers' top line into orbit. 
Bure has 24 points (15 goals, nine assists) in those 11 games. Kozlov has 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in the same stretch and has gift-wrapped at least three of Bure's goals with dazzling passes. 
Wednesday night against Phoenix on a five-on-three, watching Kozlov and Bure was akin to seeing a boxer wind his right arm repeatedly, then pop in a left jab. Kozlov got the puck in the left circle, Bure went to the right post, and defenseman Teppo Numminen was caught in the middle. 
Kozlov stickhandled back and forth, looked over at the far point, at the near point, at the bench and up into the crowd. Meanwhile, Numminen kept flinching, with every hint of a pause from Kozlov, knowing Bure was behind him. Suddenly, Kozlov whipped the puck through Numminen's skates, and Bure whacked the pass home. 
Another difference from earlier in the season: Bure fanned or popped several of those passes over or wide of the net. That play was a staple of the Panthers' power play last season. 
Bure also is converting breakaways and partial breakaways, other Bure specialties that repeatedly short-circuited earlier. So now for Bure, the term ``goalie'' is just a synonym for ``victim.'' 
Of watching Bure on a breakaway, Sutter said: ``I'd like the players to stay sitting down so I can see. I've got to stand on the bench to watch.''